Florida gambling deal faces voters opposition
Florida voters want to have a say on the new compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe for the control of sports betting.
US.- Florida’s lawmakers are studying a deal that the state’s governor, Ron DeSanti, recently sealed with the Seminole Tribe, involving a $2.5bn agreement that guarantees the Seminole Tribe complete control of sports betting in the state for 30 years.
The government says the deal is a win for the state as the tribe would expand its operations on non-tribal lands paying Florida more than $500m in licence fees, but opponents fear giving control of the whole sports betting sector to the tribe for so long.
According to a poll commissioned by No Casinos, a group of opponents to gambling expansion in the state, and conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, 76 per cent of the voters want to have the final decision on the deal.
No Casinos argues that the deal would otherwise be illegal because it would violate Amendment 3, which requires any new casino gambling to be approved by voters and have the US Department of Interior sign off.
Lawmakers will decide on the deal during a special session on May 17. If the legislature approves the agreement, the US Department of Interior would still have to sign off.
